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Good Kinds of Fear!

In my last post we looked at different kinds of fears. We saw that they were the fear of man, the fear of death, and the fear of the future. A lot of our fears fall under these groupings. These are all sinful fears.

Today I want to address some good kinds of fears. Yes, there are good fears! Our goals should not be to eliminate all fear but to distinguish between what are the good kinds and what are the sinful ones. After all, God made us with the ability to fear.

Natural Fear:

Proverbs 22:3 NASB The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, But the naive go on, and are punished for it.

This shows that man sees the danger ahead and takes steps to avoid it.

The fear of falling off a cliff, for example, is a natural kind of fear. It is healthy to prevent us from taking that next step when we come up to the edge of the cliff. Also, the fear of a wild animal is a natural good kind of fear. It helps our bodies rev up so that we can run and escape.

However, when we have a panic attack our bodies go into this kind of fear when there is no real danger. This is not healthy. There could be many reasons why this happens the first time. I’ve talked about that in a previous message where we talked about the physical side of panic disorder. The problem is that our bodies get sensitized when we continue to have panic attacks and it is easy for us to slip into this kind of fear at the drop of a hat. The way out of having panic attacks is to make more time between the attacks, by not pushing ourselves, resting, and let our bodies readjust.

Isaiah 7:25 NASB As for all the hills which used to be cultivated with the hoe, you will not go there for fear of briars and thorns;

This is saying one would fear the briars and thorns as they will cut and scrape you and be painful. That is natural fear.

Wayne Mack says in his book, The Fear Factor, “The problem is, our sinful nature takes this good, helpful emotion and twists, perverts and distorts it. As a result, it’s no longer productive but paralyzing, no longer natural but sinful.”

Holy Fear:

Proverbs 1:7 NASB The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 14:27 NASB The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, That one may avoid the snares of death.

Psalms 31:19 NASB How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of men!

Again I would like to quote from Wayne Mack because this is so good. Here he shows the differences.

“Holy fear and sinful fear are opposites. Sinful fear destroys; holy fear enlivens. Sinful fear is a terrible affliction; holy fear is a great benefit. Sinful fear shortens our days; holy fear lengthens them. Sinful fear is a source of misery; holy fear is a spring of joy. Sinful fear leads men astray; holy fear puts men on the right path. They only way to overcome sinful fear is to replace it with holy fear.”

There you go. We are back to “put-offs,” and “put-ons.” We have to put off the bad fear and put on the good kind of fear.

You may ask, what is this holy fear you are talking about? It is the fear of God. There are many scriptures that talk about the fear of God.

Results of Holy Fear:

1. It produces a fear of sin.

Philippians 2:12 NASB So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling;

Working out our salvation with fear and trembling means that it is a serious business. We shouldn’t take it for granted. We need to keep studying the Word and learn how we can obey what God says. We should not take sin lightly. We recognize it for what it is and repent and get right with God.

2. It produces a fear of God’s Word.

Proverbs 16:6 NASB And by the fear of the LORD one keeps away from evil.

The only way we can know God and know what he expects of us is to read and study the Bible. As we do we will realize many things that God wants us to change or do in our lives. We obey out of high respect and honor to God. He first loved us, and now we love Him. We should have a heart attitude of pleasing Him. When we do this we will not fall into sin.

3. It produces knowledge and wisdom.

Proverbs 1:7 NASB “The fear of he Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”

Proverbs 15:33 NASB “The fear of the Lord is the instruction for wisdom.

True wisdom and knowledge are found in the Word of God. We learn what the Bible says and then wisdom gives us the ability to apply it to our lives.

Psalms 119:11 NASB Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.

That is wisdom.

4. It produces joy and contentment.

Proverbs 15:16 NASB Better is a little with the fear of the LORD Than great treasure and turmoil with it.

Isn’t that the truth? I’d much rather have little of this world’s wealth then be rich and have all the problems that it entails. People talk about winning the lottery and they’d be happy. I don’t think so.

As you can see the Bible is where we need to turn to discover how to live our lives in a healthy and blessed way.

The Fear Factor: What Satan Doesn’t Want You to Know by Wayne and Joshua Mack can be found here:

One Response

I just now came on and wanted to read your blog as it’s been awhile. I am so blessed to read what you have written about the 2 different kinds of fear. What a wonderful encouragement you are to Christians and to those who are seeking the wisdom to come to Jesus.

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